The opening day of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur had ideal scoring conditions, especially for South Carolina Gamecock junior Hannah Darling.
She shot a 6-under 66 on Wednesday, including eight birdies and two bogeys. Those eight birdies on her scorecard were her records. Anwaby Golf Channel.
Her 66 gave her the opening day lead. In her third appearance in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, she looked comfortable.
Dahlin birdied his first three holes of the day and completed six of eight holes on the front nine.
Her first birdie was a 10-foot downhill putt. She then hit a 30-footer on the second hole, and her third consecutive birdie was just over 4 feet. She bogeyed the next two holes, but that didn’t throw her off course.
Dahlin would birdie three of the next four holes. She also birdied the par-5 14th and par-3 17th at Champions Retreat Golf Course in Evans, Georgia.
Dahlin’s previous highest finish was a tie for 22nd in 2022. She missed the cut last year by one stroke.
The University of South Carolina already has three top-10 finishes this season. Dahlin also won the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate Tournament on March 6th.
Despite a strong opening day, the 20-year-old struggled in the second round, making four bogeys on her front nine. Darling is not out of the picture yet and is still in the top 10 as of this writing.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough On all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirls and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
